Shared server methods and systems for information storage, access, and security

ABSTRACT

Devices and methods for managing multi-media files and associated metadata in a hybrid manner are disclosed. Methods for using the device(s) to implement different methods for managing information obtained (e.g., recorded) by a plurality of recording devices are also disclosed. This disclosure also relates to comprehensive use of multiple distinct surveillance systems in a coordinated manner. For example, a set of surveillance devices configured for use by one or more law enforcement agencies or other government agencies may share metadata to facilitate indexing, sharing, accessing, and coordinating potential surveillance recordings. In one example, metadata may be uploaded to cloud storage while associated multi-media files are maintained locally by the responsible agency. Maintaining metadata and actual multi-media content separately may reduce bandwidth transmission requirements and maintain confidentiality of surveillance recordings. Further, chain of custody of evidence requirements regarding digitally recorded evidence may be complied with.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of, and priority to, U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/044,139, filed Aug. 29, 2014, andentitled, “Compact Multi-Function DVR with Multiple Integrated WirelessData Communication Devices,” which is incorporated herein by reference.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This disclosure relates generally to systems and methods to assist inmanaging information including both multi-media and associated metadataobtained (e.g., recorded) by a recording device. More particularly, butnot by way of limitation, this disclosure relates to systems and methodsfor maintaining large multi-media files on local storage and associatedmetadata files on remote (e.g., cloud based) storage to facilitatesearching, cataloging, indexing, audit tracking, accessibility, andother maintenance functions without requiring upload of large volumes ofdata.

BACKGROUND

Today's law enforcement agencies are increasing their use of digitaldata to collect surveillance information and other forms of data to beused as evidence in legal proceedings. Devices and methods for managingmulti-media files collected as part of this surveillance and evidencecollection are increasing over time. Multi-media files may be large. Forexample, a video or audio file may easily be megabytes in size dependingon the length of the recording. Video files are typically larger thanaudio files and they become larger based on the resolution of the videorecording. That is, higher resolution video files typically requirelarger file sizes than either audio or lower resolution video because ofcurrent audio and video compression techniques. Video files are alsotypically larger than corresponding audio files because they includemore data than an audio recording.

Metadata associated with either audio recordings or video recordings isa relatively small amount of data compared to the audio or video data.However, today's systems typically embed the metadata as part of theaudio or video data file such that access to the metadata requiresaccess to the potentially large multi-media file. Also, most accessprograms require an entire file to understand the structure and contentof the file itself. Accordingly, to access any metadata associated witha typical multi-media file, one must have complete access to the entiremulti-media file.

SUMMARY

According to a first aspect of the invention, a computer systemconfigured to collect and manage metadata associated with one or moremulti-media recordings is disclosed. The computer system includes one ormore processors and one or more network communication interfacescommunicatively coupled to the one or more processors. The computersystem also includes a storage area accessible to the one or moreprocessors. The storage area may be used to store executableinstructions for the processor(s) and to store any collected (e.g.,recorded) information. Of course, these two types of data may be storedin separate logical areas of the storage area. Overall, the computersystem may be configured, by the executable instructions, to receive,via the one or more network communication interfaces, metadatainformation pertaining to at least one multi-media recording. Themetadata information may include information regarding attributesdescribing recording circumstances for the at least one multi-mediarecording and an access location for the at least one multi-mediarecording. The attributes describing recording circumstances willgenerally provide information about when, where, why, and possibly howthe recording was made. This information about recording circumstancesmay be helpful to determine which recordings may be of interest for agiven activity or search query.

In a second aspect of this disclosure, the computer system (or aseparate computer system) may be further configured to process themetadata for the at least one multi-media recording to incorporateinformation into a global index or catalog of additional multi-mediarecordings. The additional multi-media recordings may be obtained fromthe same or a plurality of distinct capture devices. The overall globalindex may be useful to respond to query requests to identify potentiallyapplicable multi-media recordings.

In a third aspect of this disclosure a method of managing a plurality ofmulti-media recordings is disclosed. The method may include receivingfirst metadata information having information regarding attributesdescribing recording circumstances attributable to a first multi-mediarecording obtained by a first recording device. The first metadatainformation may be stored in an associated external file rather thanembedded into the multi-media recordings. The metadata may be correlatedwith other information about additional multi-media recordings. Overall,the metadata may be managed independently of the recordings and providelocation information (e.g., storage location) for selected multi-mediafiles. A user interface may be provided to allow query type functions tointerface with the correlated information to identify potentiallyrelevant recordings based on a query request.

In a fourth aspect of this disclosure, a docking station is disclosed.The docking station may be configured to manage the multi-mediarecordings and assist with overall management of multi-media recordingsas discussed throughout this disclosure. The docking station may beconfigured to automate and possibly prioritize some or all of thedisclosed management functions.

Other aspects of the embodiments described herein will become apparentfrom the following description and the accompanying drawings,illustrating the principles of the embodiments by way of example only.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

It being understood that the figures presented herein should not bedeemed to limit or define the subject matter claimed herein, theapplicants' disclosure may be understood by reference to the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich like reference numerals identify like elements.

FIGS. 1A-B illustrate a rear view and a front view, respectively, of adevice for capturing (e.g., recording) multi-media and metadataaccording to some disclosed embodiments.

FIGS. 2A-C illustrates block diagrams of a processing system and twoexample removable storage devices that may be used for the disclosedintegrated mobile surveillance system to capture and store multi-mediafiles and associated metadata according to some disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block system diagram showing some additionalinternal components for the device of FIGS. 1A-B, according to somedisclosed embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates an intelligent docking, upload, and charging stationfor battery packs and portable recording devices according to somedisclosed embodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates a possible process flow to “checkout” a portabledevice (e.g., body worn camera, wireless microphone), including astorage device, that may be used by specific law enforcement personnelfor the duration of checkout and assist in chain of custody proceduresaccording to some disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates possible data flow and Software as a Service (SaaS)components for working with information stored in a “hybrid” manneraccording to some disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow chart depicting one possible process for datamining of information collected by a plurality of surveillance systemsaccording to some disclosed embodiments.

FIGS. 8A-F illustrate excerpts of metadata files using eXtensible MarkupLanguage (XML) for the data format, according to some disclosedembodiments.

NOTATION AND NOMENCLATURE

Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claimsto refer to particular system components and configurations. As oneskilled in the art will appreciate, the same component may be referredto by different names. This document does not intend to distinguishbetween components that differ in name but not function. In thefollowing discussion and in the claims, the terms “including” and“comprising” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should beinterpreted to mean “including, but not limited to . . . . ” Also, theterm “couple” or “couples” is intended to mean either an indirect ordirect connection. Thus, if a first device couples to a second device,that connection may be through a direct connection, or through anindirect connection via other devices and connections.

As used throughout this disclosure the terms “computer device” and“computer system” will both be used to refer to an apparatus that may beused in conjunction with disclosed embodiments of connectable storagedrives and self-contained removable storage devices. As used herein, acomputer device may be thought of as having a subset of functionalitiesas compared to a computer system. That is, a computer device may referto a special purpose processor-based device such as a digital videosurveillance system primarily configured for executing a limited numberof applications. A computer system may more generally refer to a generalpurpose computer such as a laptop, workstation, or server which may beconfigured by a user to run any number of off the shelf or speciallydesigned software applications. Computer systems and computer deviceswill generally interact with disclosed storage drives included inembodiments of the disclosed portable recording device in the same orsimilar ways.

The term “hybrid storage” is used in this disclosure to describe thatdata associated with accessing and managing multi-media files may bestored in a plurality of locations as opposed to a single location andnot embedded within the multi-media file itself. For example, metadatafiles containing attributes of associated multi-media files, and/or datacollected or maintained in association with multi-media files, may bestored remotely from the multi-media files themselves. Metadata filesare typically considerably smaller in size than multi-media files. Thus,metadata files are more easily transferred across data links that mayhave limited bandwidth. As explained further below, hybrid storage mayallow for searching and indexing of numerous multi-media files withoutrequiring unnecessary transfer of the potentially large multi-mediafiles (e.g., video/audio recordings). For simplicity the term“multi-media” will be used throughout this disclosure to refer to filescollected (e.g., recorded) by an audio or audio/video recorder.Multi-media files may include only audio, only video, or audio and videotogether and the information may be compressed using an industrystandard compression technology (e.g., Motion Picture Expert Group(MPEG) standards, Audio Video Interleave (AVI), etc.) or anotherproprietary compression or storage format.

The term “recording circumstances” is used herein to describe thatmetadata information associated with an instance of a multi-mediarecording may contain information describing attributes associated withthe act of actual recording of that multi-media file. That is, themetadata may describe who (e.g., Officer ID) or what (e.g., automatictrigger) initiated the recording. The metadata may also describe wherethe recording was made. For example, location may be obtained usingglobal positioning system (GPS) information. The metadata may alsodescribe why (e.g., event tag) the multi-media recording was made. Inaddition, the metadata may also describe when the recording was madeusing timestamp information obtained in association with GPS informationor from an internal clock, for example. From these types of metadata,circumstances that caused the multi-media recording may provide moreinformation about the multi-media recording. This metadata may includeuseful information to correlate multi-media recordings from multipledistinct surveillance systems. This type of correlation information, asdescribed further below, may assist in many different functions (e.g.,query, data retention, chain of custody, and so on).

This disclosure also refers to storage devices and storage drivesinterchangeably. In general, a storage device/drive represents a mediumaccessible by a computer to store data and executable instructions.Also, throughout this disclosure reference will be made to “plugging in”a storage drive. It is noted that “plugging in” a storage drive is justone way to connect a storage drive to a computer device/system. Thisdisclosure is not intended to be limited to drives that physically “plugin” and disclosed embodiments are also applicable to devices that are“connected” to a computer device or computer system. For example devicesmay be connected by using a cable or by connecting using a computer bus.Additionally, references to “removable” storage are analogous toplugging-in/unplugging a device, connecting/disconnecting cabled accessto a device, and/or establishing/disconnecting networked access to adevice or storage area on a network (either wired or wireless).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DISCLOSED EMBODIMENTS

While various embodiments are described herein, it should be appreciatedthat the present disclosure encompasses many inventive concepts that maybe embodied in a wide variety of contexts. Thus, the following detaileddescription of exemplary embodiments, read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, is merely illustrative and is not to be taken aslimiting the scope of this disclosure. Rather, the scope of theinvention is defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

Illustrative embodiments of this disclosure are described below. In theinterest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation aredescribed for every embodiment disclosed in this specification. In thedevelopment of any such actual embodiment, numerousimplementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve thedesign-specific goals, which will vary from one implementation toanother. It will be appreciated that such a development effort, whilepossibly complex and time-consuming, would nevertheless be a routineundertaking for persons of ordinary skill in the art having the benefitof this disclosure.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for management ofmulti-media files and associated metadata that might be collected by oneor more, mobile surveillance systems, portable video recording devices,and other types of data recorders. The mobile (and possibly stationary)surveillance system devices may be configured to capture video, audio,and data parameters pertaining to activity in the vicinity of thesurveillance system, for example a police vehicle. Other type ofvehicles and other situations requiring a surveillance unit are alsowithin the scope of this disclosure. Other types of vehicles mayinclude, but are not limited to, any transportation means equipped witha mobile surveillance system (e.g., civilian transport trucks). Thedisclosed embodiments are explained in the context of mobilesurveillance systems for vehicles that aid in law enforcement such asbuses, ambulances, police motorcycles or bicycles, fire trucks,airplanes, boats, military vehicles, etc. However, in some embodiments,data collected from other types of vehicles including non lawenforcement vehicles may be collected as a possible aid to lawenforcement (or for other applicable uses), at least in part, because ofthe disclosed data mining and coordination techniques.

Mobile surveillance systems have been in use by police departments forthe past few decades. Over that period of time, several advances havebeen introduced in the technology used to provide video/audio and dataregarding specific police events. In the late 1990s through the early2000s, digital technologies became prevalent in the industry, replacingexisting analog technologies. With the use of digital technologies, lawenforcement agencies obtained several advances over previoustechnologies and may further benefit from additional advances (e.g., asdescribed in this disclosure). In general, digital technologies are moreadaptable and offer more opportunities for improvement thancorresponding analog technologies. This is largely because digitalvideo/audio files can be processed in a multitude of ways byspecifically configured computer devices. This disclosure elaborates onseveral novel techniques to enhance the capability, reliability, ease ofuse, security, integrity, and other aspects of mobile surveillancesystems and the information they collect.

Today, there are numerous surveillance systems in use by law enforcementand the data they collect continues to increase in volume andcomplexity. Accordingly, enhanced management techniques for the amountof available data may be required. Additionally, there is a need toimprove data access and distribution, integrity, reliability, andsecurity throughout the lifecycle of that data. Legal requirements fordata collected by a remote/mobile surveillance system includeconformance to judiciary requirements such as “chain ofcustody/evidence,” and “preservation of evidence.” Chain of custody(CoC), in legal contexts, refers to the chronological documentation orpaper trail audit, showing the seizure, custody, control, transfer,analysis, and disposition of physical or electronic evidence.Preservation of evidence is a closely related concept that refers tomaintaining and securing evidence from a particular crime scene beforeit ultimately appears in a courtroom. For example, the evidence may goto a forensic laboratory prior to arriving at the courtroom. Evidenceadmissibility in court is predicated upon an unbroken chain of custody.It is important to demonstrate that the evidence introduced at trial isthe same evidence collected at the crime scene [e.g. that is, all accessto the evidence (e.g., electronic files) was controlled and documented],and that the evidence was not altered in any way. Requirements for lawenforcement are further described in “Criminal Justice InformationServices (CJIS) Security Policy,” version 5.3 published Aug. 4, 2014referenced as “CJISD-ITS-DOC-08140-5.3” which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

As will be recognized, disclosed embodiments may allow for comprehensiveback-office video management software to be provided using a Software asa Service (SaaS) architecture, giving each agency (even small remoteagencies) the tools they need to capture, transfer, store and managetheir digital video evidence from car to court. That is, the disclosedsystem and back-office management techniques meet the preservation ofevidence requirements outlined above with respect to management ofdigital evidence for law enforcement. All activity with respect todigital evidence in the back-office system may be logged to ensureproper documentation of evidence handling. The disclosed system mayinclude electronic transfer of evidence in a controlled manner and mayprovide comprehensive coordination of potential evidence captured from aplurality of surveillance systems. The disclosed system may also includeintegrated DVD burning software for easy and accurate evidence transfer.

Referring now to FIGS. 1A-B, disclosed embodiments of an integratedmobile surveillance system 100 are intended to incorporate a pluralityof functions as being “built-in” to mobile surveillance system 100.Additionally, aspects of integrated mobile surveillance system 100 havebeen designed with consideration for future expansion as newtechnologies and capabilities become available. Aspects of integratedsystem 100 include, but are not limited to, the following integratedfunctional units. Integrated system 100 may be configured to have one ormore than one of each of these functional units, as appropriate.Integrated wireless microphone antenna connector 105 allows capture ofaudio from a remote wireless microphone located within proximity ofintegrated system 100. An external multi-conductor interface cable 110allows a wired connection to one or more internal interfaces ofintegrated system 100. One or more Universal serial bus (USB) ports,such as USB port 140, may be provided for general peripheralconnectivity and expansion according to some disclosed embodiments. Anintegrated global positioning system (GPS) module 120 with optionalexternal antenna or connector 115 is used in part for capturing locationdata, time sync, and speed logging. The GPS information may also be usedfor time synchronization and to coordinate data, ultimately facilitatingmap based search and synchronization (e.g., locate recorded informationfrom a time and/or location across a plurality of recording devices).Dual front facing cameras 125 may include both a wide angle video cameraand a tight field of view camera for optical zoom effect snap shots. Arecord indicator 130 provides an indication of a current operating modefor integrated system 100. A wired Ethernet adapter (e.g., Gigabit,10/100 BASE-T, etc.) 135 (or a wireless network adapter, not shown) fordata upload, computer interface, remote display and configuration.Additionally, multiple wireless data communication devices (not shown)may be integrated for flexibility and expansion. For example, the systemmay include adapters conforming to wireless communication specificationsand technologies such as, 802.11, Bluetooth, radio-frequencyidentification (RFID), and near field communication (NFC). Each of theseinterfaces may be used, at least in part, for data exchange, deviceauthentication, and device control. A serial port (not shown) may beused to interface with radar/laser speed detection devices and otherdevices as needed. A G-Sensor/Accelerometer (not shown) may be used forimpact detection and to automatically initiate record mode. TheG-Sensor/Accelerometer may also provide data logging for impactstatistics and road condition data. A DIO (Digital Input/Output) (notshown) that may be used for external triggers to activate record modeand/or provide metadata to the system. The DIO can also be used tocontrol external relays or other devices as appropriate. The DIO canalso be used to detect brake, light bar, car door, and gun lock so thatthe video recording can be automatically triggered. As shown in FIGS.1A-B, a combination power button and brightness control 145 can be usedto turn on the system and control the brightness of the monitor afterthe system is turned on. Programmable function button 150 provides auser definable external button for easy access to instigate any functionprovided by integrated system 100. For example, rather than traversingthrough a set of menus on articulating touchscreen 165, a user maydefine function button 150 to perform an action with one touch (e.g.,instant replay, event tagging of a particular type, etc.). Aarticulating touchscreen 165 may be used to view video in real-time, orin one or more play back modes. Touchscreen 165 may also serve as aninput mechanism, providing a user interface to integrated system 100. Anintegrated speaker (not shown) may be used for in-car audio monitoringand in-car video/audio file playback. An integrated internal battery 155for proper shutdown in the event of sudden power loss from the vehiclethat might occur as a result of a crash, for example, is shown. Alsodepicted is a removable SSD Flash drive 170 (e.g., secure digital (SD)or universal serial bus (USB) type), including any type of storage thatmay be inserted or attached to the system via a storage interface (e.g.,SCSI, SATA, etc.). For security of access to data, removable SSD flashdrive 170 may be secured via a mechanical removable media key lock 160.In some embodiments, event based data is recorded and written to theremovable drive to be transferred to a back office server for storageand management. Wireless microphone sync contacts 175 may be configuredto synchronize a wireless microphone/camera, such as a body worn cameraand microphone, for communication with integrated system 100. Inaddition to actual sync contacts, that require physical contact, othersynchronization methods for wireless microphone/cameras includeutilizing NFC or RFID capability between the wireless device andintegrated system 100.

In addition to the components mentioned above, disclosed embodiments ofintegrated mobile surveillance system 100 may be configured to includefunctional components to provide operational characteristics that mayinclude the following. In accordance with some embodiments, a pre-eventplayback function may be used to tag historical events. In normaloperation, integrated mobile surveillance system 100 may recordcontinuously to internal storage and store tagged information (e.g.,marked for export) to removable storage. However, for the case of anincident that occurs without a timely event trigger, the operator mayinstruct the system to navigate back to an earlier time captured in theinternal storage and play back that portion of video/audio information.The selected video, at any available point in time, may be marked,tagged for extraction, and stored to removable storage, as if the eventhad been tagged at that point in time. In accordance with some otherembodiments, a component may provide an instant replay functionconfigured to playback the last predetermined amount of time with onebutton press. Note that both the instant replay and pre-event playback(along with general system operation) allow for simultaneous playbackwhile the system is concurrently recording information. Pre-definedevent tags and a pre-defined event tagging functions may also beprovided. For example, tags may include DWI, felony, speeding, stopsign, chase, etc. The tagging action may be used to catalog portions ofrecorded data. For example, after an event is indicated as ending (e.g.,such as stop recording indication), an option to select a predefinedevent may be displayed. Upon selection the system may allow anassociated portion of collected information to be marked in a text filefor current and future identification and storage. Further, when thetagged information is transferred to the data management software, thetagged information may be searched by event type and maintained on theserver for a predefined retention period based on the event type. Astreaming function may also be provided to stream live view and recordedvideo, audio, and/or data over available wireless and wired networks.The integrated system 100 may also integrate “hotspot” capabilitieswhich allow the system to serve as an agency accessible, mobile wirelesslocal area network (WLAN).

Referring now to FIGS. 2A-C, possible internals and peripheralcomponents of an example device 200, which may be used to practice thedisclosed functional capabilities of integrated surveillance system 100,are shown. Example device 200 comprises a programmable control device210 which may be optionally connected to input device 260 (e.g.,keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, etc.), display 270 or program storagedevice 280. Also, included with programmable control device 210 is anetwork interface 240 for communication via a network with othercomputers and infrastructure devices (not shown). Note network interface240 may be included within programmable control device 210 or beexternal to programmable control device 210. In either case,programmable control device 210 may be communicatively coupled tonetwork interface 240. Also, note Program Storage Device (PSD) 280represents any form of non-volatile storage including, but not limitedto, all forms of optical and magnetic storage elements includingsolid-state storage.

Program control device 210 may be included in a device 200 and beprogrammed to perform methods, including hybrid storage of metadata andassociated multi-media files, in accordance with this disclosure.Program control device 210 comprises a processor unit (PU) 220,input-output (I/O) interface 250 and memory 230. Processing unit (PU)220 may include any programmable controller device including, forexample, the Intel Core®, Pentium® and Celeron® processor families fromIntel and the Cortex ARM processor families from ARM® (INTEL® CORE®,PENTIUM® and CELERON® are registered trademarks of the IntelCorporation. CORTEX® is a registered trademark of the ARM LimitedCorporation. ARM® is a registered trademark of the ARM Limited Company).Memory 230 may include one or more memory modules and comprise randomaccess memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), programmable read onlymemory (PROM), programmable read-write memory, and solid state memory.One of ordinary skill in the art will also recognize that PU 220 mayalso include some internal memory including, for example, cache memory.

Various changes in the materials, components, circuit elements, as wellas in the details of the illustrated systems, devices and belowdescribed operational methods are possible without departing from thescope of the claims herein. For instance, acts in accordance withdisclosed functional capabilities may be performed by a programmablecontrol device executing instructions organized into one or more modules(comprised of computer program code or instructions). A programmablecontrol device may be a single computer processor (e.g., PU 220), aplurality of computer processors coupled by a communications link or oneor more special purpose processors (e.g., a digital signal processor orDSP). Such a programmable control device may be one element in a largerdata processing system such as a general purpose computer system.Storage media, as embodied in storage devices such as PSD 280 and memoryinternal to program control device 210 are suitable for tangiblyembodying computer program instructions. Storage media may include, butnot be limited to: magnetic disks (fixed, floppy, and removable) andtape; optical media such as CD-ROMs and digital video disks (DVDs); andsemiconductor memory devices such as Electrically Programmable Read-OnlyMemory (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory(EEPROM), Programmable Gate Arrays and flash devices. These types ofstorage media are also sometimes referred to as computer readable mediumor program storage devices.

FIG. 2B illustrates a secure digital (SD) card 285 that may beconfigured as the programmable storage device described above. An SDcard is a nonvolatile memory card format for use in portable devices,such as mobile phones, digital cameras, handheld consoles, and tabletcomputers, etc. An SD card may be inserted into a receptacle on thedevice conforming to the SD specification or may alternately beconfigured with an interface to allow plugging into a standard USB port(or other port). An example of the adapter for USB compatibility 286 isillustrated in FIG. 2C. Modern computer operating systems are typicallyconfigured to automatically permit access to an SD card when it isplugged into an active computer system (sometimes referred to asplug-n-play). In computing technologies, a plug and play device orcomputer bus is one with a specification that provides for orfacilitates the discovery of a hardware component in a system withoutthe need for physical device configuration or user intervention inresolving resource conflicts. Because of additional securityrequirements regarding data access with respect to the law enforcementfield, disclosed systems may incorporate a specifically modifiedinterface to the removable storage drive utilized in device 100 (i.e.,removable media 170). Modifications permitting specialized access toremovable media, such as a secure storage drive, are described inco-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/588,139, entitled “HiddenPlug-in Storage Drive for Data Integrity,” by Hung C. Chang, which isincorporated by reference herein. Modifications permitting specializedfunctionality from removable media are described in co-pending U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/593,722, entitled “Self-contained StorageDevice for Self-contained Application Execution,” by Allan Chen et al.,which is incorporated by reference herein.

Referring now to FIG. 3, block diagram 300 illustrates one embodiment ofan integrated audio-video-data surveillance system. Note that each ofthe components shown in block diagram 300 may be communicatively coupledto other components via communication channels (e.g., bus) not shown inthe block diagram. The flow arrows of block diagram 300 are general innature to illustrate the movement of information. In use, video andaudio may be captured by camera 305 and microphone 306 respectively.Captured data may be provided initially to video/audio encoder 310 toencode and optionally compress the raw video data and the encoded datamay be stored in a memory area (not shown) for access by CPU 315.Encoded data may also be selectively stored to either internal failsafehard drive 320 or removable mobile hard drive 325 individually or toboth simultaneously. Data may also be transferred, for example at thedirection of a user, from internal failsafe hard drive 320 to removablemobile hard drive 325. Data capture devices such as general purposeinput output (GPIO) 330 and GPS 331 may be used to capture metadata toassociate with captured surveillance information (e.g., multi-mediafiles). All pertinent captured metadata may be associated with capturedvideo/audio recordings using structured text files such as, for example,eXtensible Markup Language (XML) files. An example of such structuredtext files is explained in more detail below with reference to FIGS.8A-F. In addition to captured metrics provided by real-time captureinputs, XML files may be utilized to store many different types ofmetadata associated with captured video and data. This collection ofmetadata may be used to describe “recording circumstances” attributableto the surveillance information (e.g., multi-media recordings). That is,the metadata may describe, when, where, who, and why information, amongother things, to indicate information about the act of recording thesurveillance information. The metadata may include, but not be limitedto, timestamps of capture, [internal clock (not shown) of system 100 maybe synchronized using GPS data] event tags, GPS coordinates, GPS andRADAR/LIDAR measurement from a target vehicle, breathalyzer analysisinformation, analytical information, and so on. Analytical informationwill be discussed in more detail below with reference to FIG. 7.Wireless interface 335 (or a wired interface (not shown) when available)may be used to upload information from one or more surveillance systemsto back office servers located, for example, at a police station or tocloud based resources. Back office servers and cloud based resourceswill be discussed in more detail below with reference to FIG. 6.

Referring now to FIG. 4, advanced docking station 400 may provideadditional benefits for users that maintain a plurality of portable bodyworn cameras 450 and/or a plurality of surveillance systems. Some or allportable body worn cameras 450 may incorporate one or more programmablefunction buttons 405. As shown in FIG. 4, docking station 400 may havemultiple ports/cradles 415. Docking station 400 may assist in dataupload, device checkout, device upgrade (e.g., firmware/softwareupdate), recharging of battery packs 420 and other maintenance typefunctions that may be performed, for example, at a police station. Forclarity, not all repeated elements in FIG. 4 have an associatedreference number. Embodiments of the disclosed docking station maysupport maintenance functions for multiple portable devices such as bodyworn cameras 450 concurrently. The disclosed docking station 400 may bemultifunctional for uploading and/or downloading of video/audio andassociated metadata. Configuration data such as unit ID, user ID,operational modes, updates, and so on, may be maintained and versions ofsuch configuration information may be presented on display screen 410(which may also be a touchscreen interface to docking station 400).

Docking station 400 may have integrated interfaces to different types ofsurveillance systems. Interfaces such as, USB, wired Ethernet orwireless network, as well as interface ports for battery charging may beincluded. Docking station 400 may also contain: a CPU and be configuredas a computer device (see FIG. 1) with optional integrated touchscreendisplay 410, output connectors (not shown) for an optional externaldisplay/mouse or device expansion. Docking station 400 may have anoption for a wireless display (not shown) to be used for statusindication as well as for an interface for checkout/assignment ofsurveillance system devices to a user or group of users (See FIG. 5).Docking station 400 may include wireless communications such asBluetooth and/or 802.4AC/AD. Docking station 400 may also be configuredto work as an Access Point for a wireless network or may be configuredto act as a bridge to allow portable client devices to accessfunctionality of docking station 400 and possibly connect to othersystem components including local or cloud based servers. Dockingstation 400 may also include functional software or firmware modules tosupport hybrid storage of recorded multi-media and associated metadataautomatically. Hybrid storage is discussed in more detail below withreference to FIG. 7.

Docking station 400 may also have an internal storage device tofacilitate fast off-load storage which may be used to facilitate adownload/forward process for audio/video and metadata captured on asurveillance system device (e.g. the body worn camera 450). For example,the user may place the body worn camera 450 into a docking stationcradle 415 and docking station 400 offloads the data to the localonboard storage drive (not shown) which can immediately (or based on atimer) upload that information, or a portion thereof if hybrid model, toa server (e.g., back office server or cloud storage). Uploads may beprioritized based on many different attributes such as time, size, eventtype priority, and so on. Docking station 400 may also have anintegrated locking mechanism for one or more of the uploading/chargingports/cradles 415. The docking station 400 may be configured to controlthe locking mechanism to hold or release the wearable device in order toprevent the user from taking it out during uploading/downloading, or tomake sure that only the recently “checked out” device is removed, forexample.

The touchscreen display 410 of FIG. 4 illustrates one possible graphicaluser interface (GUI) layout as an example only. Actual layouts maycontain more information and features and may be configurable based onrequirements of different end users. In FIG. 4, the GUI shows examplesof upload status and battery charging progress. Other screens may beavailable on the GUI display 410 to provide other status informationsuch as unit ID, user ID, and/or to assist with user checkout andassignment of devices to different mobile surveillance systems.

Referring now to FIG. 5, process flow 500 illustrates a possible methodfor assisting law enforcement personnel with compliance to chain ofcustody of evidence requirements for legal evidence. Chain of custody ofevidence requirements may be implemented with the assistance of dockingstation 400. In this example, the computer device at the police stationis considered to be docking station 400 (but may be another workstationtype device for example) and a computer device in a police car, forexample, will be referred to as a “mobile surveillance system.” Bothdocking station 400 and the mobile surveillance system are examplesembodiments of computer device 100 of FIG. 1 described above. Beginningat block 505 a portable recording apparatus (e.g., body worn camera 450)including a storage device (e.g., 285, 286) is “checked in” at a policestation, for example. In the “checked in” state the portable recordingdevice may be connected to docking station 400 that is configured tointeract with the storage device of the portable recording device. Atblock 510, docking station 400 receives a request to assign a portablerecording device (e.g., body worn camera 450, or wireless microphone) toan officer (e.g., Officer “Joe Smith”) for use in a patrol “shift.” Therequest may, for example, come from a GUI presented on touchscreen 410.Optionally, the request may also include information to assign theportable recording device to a particular mobile surveillance system forthat shift (e.g., surveillance system of “patrol car 54”). At block 515,docking station 400 writes control information to the storage device ofportable recording device to identify an appropriate mobile device(e.g., 301). The control information may include storage serial number,officer's ID (e.g., “Joe”), patrol car (e.g., “54”), officer's password(likely encrypted), recording parameter settings, or other informationuseful in assisting in audit tracking of the portable recording deviceand any information collected on the storage device of the portablerecording device during the shift. At block 520, the portable recordingdevice is removed from docking station 400 for association with a mobilesurveillance system (e.g., 301). The portable recording device (e.g.,450) is now in a “checked out” state.

At block 525, the officer authenticates to a mobile surveillance system.The portable recording device is connected to the mobile surveillancesystem at block 530. Flow continues to block 535 where the storagedevice of the portable recording device (e.g., 450) becomes accessibleto the mobile surveillance system if authentication information isaccurate. Authentication may require that the mobile surveillance systemmatch a previously identified (e.g., at checkout) mobile surveillancesystem and may optionally only become available after a second checkthat a proper officer has authenticated to the mobile surveillancesystem. That is, both the portable recording device is associated with aproper surveillance system (e.g. 301), and the authenticated user willbe validated as a proper user. Thus, in this example, Officer “JoeSmith” is authenticated to the mobile surveillance system and the mobilesurveillance system is the one in patrol car 54. In this example thesurveillance system in patrol car 54 is the system which Officer Smithshould be using for his shift. Accordingly, prior to allowing any accessto the storage drive of the portable recording device from the mobilesurveillance system both attributes should be verified. Such increasedauthentication methods may assist in compliance with chain of custody ofevidence requirements for gathering and maintenance of evidence. Notethat some law enforcement agencies require a two-factor authenticationfor access to data. Validating “checkout information” regarding both theportable device and the authenticated officer (e.g., both theassociation with the surveillance system of patrol car 54 and confirmingOfficer Smith is logged into that system) is one example of two-factorauthentication.

At block 540, as the officer performs his shift duties (e.g., goes onpatrol, etc.), the mobile surveillance system records and storesevidence and surveillance data onto the storage device of the portablerecording device. During the shift, all data recorded on the storagedevice may be associated with the officer for audit tracking purposes asindicated at block 545. For example, a metadata file may be used to“mark” any recorded data with officer's ID, event type, date/time, GPSlocation, etc.

Next, at block 550 actions that may take place at the end of a shift,for example, are performed. After a shift is completed and the officer,mobile surveillance system, and portable recording device return to thepolice station, recorded data may be securely (for example, but notlimited to, by data encryption) uploaded wirelessly to a back officesystem at the police station. Securely uploaded, as used here, indicatesthat the recorded data will be uploaded in a manner as to maintain itsassociation with the officer and maintain chain of custody of evidencerequirements as well as any other type of security regarding thewireless network, etc. As an alternative to wireless upload, the officermay remove (e.g., disconnect) the portable recording device (e.g., 450)and relocate the portable recording device to the same or a differentdocking station 400 for upload at the police station. At block 555, theofficer may “check in” the portable recording device so as to allow adifferent officer to use it on a subsequent shift. For example, checkingin may be performed using a GUI interface to docking station 400.

In accordance with some embodiments, the above description discloses howmulti-media files and associated metadata may be collected. Inaccordance with other embodiments, a hybrid model for storing andanalyzing information may be beneficial for small and largelaw-enforcement agencies. Law-enforcement agencies with limited staffingand resources may find it difficult to adopt in-car or wearable videosystem technologies that involve complex, expensive and cumbersomecomponents. For example, an in-house server based solution may requireexperienced computer technicians/specialists to maintain proper hardwareoperations. A non-server based solution may also be challenging becauseit may lack the functions such as system configuration, video search andstorage management, and evidence life-cycle maintenance. It iscontemplated that a cloud based SaaS solution may offer the properflexibility and convenience required for such law enforcement agencies.Additionally, the disclosed hybrid model for storing metadataindependently from actual multi-media files may more effectively workfor agencies having limited bandwidth capabilities.

In some disclosed embodiments, a remote application and database servermay be hosted by a software as a service (SaaS) cloud application toreduce (or eliminate) the need to hire additional computer technicians.Some disclosed embodiments may be implemented in a hybrid cloud andprovide local (on site) data storage for portions of data that requirehigh bandwidth across a network (e.g., Internet, police network) whilemaintaining metadata in the cloud. This configuration may help ensuresecurity and integrity of digital evidentiary data by maintaining asingle global copy of metadata in the cloud (for storage) while stillallowing fast local access speeds for review of potentially largevideo/audio files. Also, optionally, data on a shared server may bedownloaded to the local data storage site as backup data and thenre-uploaded to a remote (or cloud based) site if there is a systemsfailure or “intrusion” attack at the remote (or cloud based site).

To eliminate the need for (or to augment) a conventional DVD burnerbased system, the user may auto upload all data and metadata to thecloud. Optionally, a user may provide (or user event tags may be usedas) identification criteria for certain types of videos (and theirmetadata) to be sent to the cloud automatically as soon as the videosare uploaded to a server (or staged on docking station 400) with certain“event type” metadata. For example, an administrator may define: all DUIvideos are sent to cloud based storage and 2 DVD copies are burned. Whenan officer tags a video as a DUI event type, as soon as the video isuploaded to the cloud, the video may also be sent to a DVD burner for 2copies automatically. Alternatively, rather than burning DVD copies, anemail may be automatically generated and sent or instructions may beprovided to an employee to create and send an email with a time limitedaccess link to personnel or third parties (e.g., prosecuting attorney)who may have an interest in a DUI event. Based on the tag type assigned,a wide number of triggers and follow-on responses may be generatedautomatically. Furthermore, actions relating to compliance with recordretention policies may be automatically generated so that as specificretention periods pass, records are automatically deleted. Thus, theuser may readily and easily take advantage of cloud-based storage for analmost limitless cataloguing and archiving device.

Referring now to FIG. 6, data flow in a content management system thatintegrates with SaaS functionality is illustrated in block diagram 600.The SaaS component may be a system which typically includes a web-basedportal that is the entry point to the software services for all usersrequiring data access. As with other data access points, access may becontrolled by authentication means such as, but not limited to,passwords, fingerprints, encryption, and so on. Authorized users maysearch media catalogues which may be generated from metadata obtainedfrom a single agency or from multiple jurisdictional agencies. Users mayalso manage all the configuration settings of mobile/portablevideo/audio recording devices via a cloud based control portal. Havingmetadata in the cloud facilitates many different functions, such as,query search of metadata associated with audio, video or print media.The metadata in the cloud and an associated interface portal may allowaccess to any evidentiary logs associated with the data (local or cloudbased) and access a user's local hardware/software storage to reviewmedia that may not have been uploaded to cloud storage (e.g., because ofbandwidth/storage constraints). That is, the cloud based system mayinclude enough information to allow secure access back to local storage(e.g., 644 and 642) so that a user at police station 640 may efficientlyview locally stored multi-media files. Alternatively, a user locatedremotely from police station 640 may obtain access (e.g., secure accessvia virtual private network VPN) to network and storage infrastructureat police station 640 and perform desired actions on multi-media files.Of course, bandwidth constraints of the obtained remote access (e.g.,VPN) may have an effect on what actions a remote user decides toperform.

Local hardware/software storage at police station 640 may be any storagedevice, such as local hard drives, removable drives, or any type ofnetwork storage device, and so on. As shown in FIG. 6, the SaaSfunctions may incorporate cloud storage (630) which is not typically aslimited in storage capacity as local hardware/software storage. However,remote access to large files may have associated communication bandwidthconcerns. Such a SaaS content management system may limit data handling(and thus the potential for breaking the evidentiary chain of custody).Data handling may also be limited by initiating data transfer from thelocal collection point via an upload of data to the cloud storage usingthe web-based portal. The user may determine which data will remain onlocal storage and which data resides in the cloud. For example, in sucha hybrid storage solution, metadata relating to GIS information andapplications for performing data analysis may reside in the cloud, whilethe related audio/video files remain at the user's facility. This islargely based on the size of the files and recognition that bandwidth tocloud storage may affect access to large files. However, in somesituations bandwidth concerns are not a determining factor and othersegmentation of data may be desired. In the case where hybrid storage isimplemented and a user has local access to large files, a user may moreefficiently interact with metadata in the cloud and local multi-mediafiles.

A cloud-based 630 video export and access system does away with thehardware and ongoing maintenance costs of optical media based systems byproviding users a secure, controlled, reliable and cost-effective methodfor sending video and data to third parties. Video and data may beuploaded to the cloud for storage, one or more third party recipientsmay be assigned access rights, and a defined expiration date for thirdparty access may also be provided. Additionally, use of the cloud maypermit real-time data upload and storage which provides nearly limitlessdata storage capacity for integrated system 100 (FIGS. 1A and 1B).Hybrid storage models may be implemented to define pre-requisites as towhat actual multi-media files are stored in the cloud. In someembodiments, only multi-media files requiring access by third partiesare uploaded to the cloud. In other embodiments, only multi-media filesthat have been tagged with a particular event type are uploaded to thecloud. In either or both of these embodiments, other multi-media filesthat may be less important or have not yet been fully analyzed may bemaintained on local storage for future consideration. Note that eventhough multi-media files may be maintained on local storage it may bedesirable to upload associated metadata to the cloud based system toprovide more comprehensive indexing and searching functionality acrossall recorded data.

Exported data may be stored in cloud-based storage that is remotelyaccessible through a secured means (for example, but not limited to, apassword, finger print reader, etc). The system may be configured tosend one or more recipients an access link through automatedcommunication methods such as email, text, and mms, etc. The link sentto each recipient may include an expiration date for accessing theassociated data. The system may also allow a recipient of the link toreview the data stored in the cloud via the Internet, download a localcopy of the data for future use, and delete the data after review ordownload. The link sent to each recipient may also limit access rightsof recipients (e.g. read only, data editing, deletion, etc.).

In order to comply with laws, court orders or record-retention policiesrelating to data access, the system may be configured to remove theaccessible data after a predetermined expiration date. A cloud-basedsystem thus allows users to retain the original data while limitingthird party access to such data. Once an access link has expired, nothird party may access the expired data. The disclosed SaaS system mayalso provide bookkeeping functions to track content access, bandwidthusage, and subscription expiration, etc. This bookkeeping function maybe capable of statistical analysis and billing and may generate reportsand invoices as needed.

FIG. 6 also graphically illustrates an example data exchange flow inblock diagram 600, thorough which video, audio, and print data andassociated metadata may be shared. Numerous users, computer-basedfunctionalities, storage options, and associated lines of communicationmay be involved in data uploading and downloading. For example, one orseveral police vehicles 610 may transmit video and audio data andassociated metadata via wireless communication means 605 to a cloudstorage system 630. Concurrently (or as needed), this data or a subsetof this data may be made accessible to software applications, forexample SaaS functions 620, via communication link 606. Policevehicle(s) 610 may also manually download data and metadata to localstorage 644 upon arrival at police station 640 using data transmissionchannel 660. Data transmission channel 660 may be a wired connection ora wireless connection. In an alternative, a classical “sneakernet” maybe used by connecting a portable recording device to another device(e.g., docking station 400). After connection data may be uploaded tolocal storage 644, which is located at the police station, and thenoptionally (based on a number of different criteria) to the cloud 630using any appropriate connection (e.g., 645, 650 or another availableconnection).

In the example of block diagram 600, an integrated surveillance systemvendor 670 oversees and maintains SaaS functions 620 utilizingcommunication channel 665. The vendor may also optionally maintain thesecurity and integrity of any cloud based storage system 630 utilizingcommunication channel 666. Vendor 670 may also provide all necessarytechnical support through its SaaS functions 620 and communicationchannel 645 to assist police station 640 in implementing best practicesin the preservation of data evidence. Police station 640, depending onavailable resources, may have “in-house” routers (not shown) andsurveillance system backend server(s) 642 which provide redundant datastorage systems. Police station 640, in order to avoid expensive datastorage solutions, may optionally utilize cloud storage 630 viacommunication channel 650 in a hybrid manner. Cloud storage system 630may also communicate directly with SaaS functions through communicationschannel 655. Having multiple channels of secured communications mayprovide rapid and efficient data exchange while use of various storagemeans, (locally or cloud-based) allows an inexpensive and flexiblealternative to resource-limited users.

Referring now to FIG. 7, flow chart 700 illustrates a potential datamining strategy for captured data. The disclosed data mining strategymay benefit from the above discussed hybrid storage model in a number ofways. Example benefits across a single agency or multiplejurisdictionally distinct entities may include sharing of informationwithout violating privacy or other data access concerns. Sample usecases are described following this overview of flow chart 700. Beginningat block 705, at least one surveillance system automatically capturesvideo and audio data and associates that captured data with GPSpositioning, timestamp, and other information captured as metadata whilethe vehicle containing the surveillance system is “on-patrol”. All suchvideo and audio data (including metadata) from a single or multiple“on-patrol” vehicles at block 710 may be uploaded to a central storagearea (e.g., a cloud) at the end of a law enforcement personnel shift. Atdecision 715, it is determined by specially configured software/firmwareif a captured data segment has an associated tag (e.g., event type). Ifnot (NO prong of decision 715) then a default tag and associated dataretention policy may be applied to the captured data as shown at block725. The captured data segment for untagged capture may be stored in anarea of a computer hard drive with continuous loop function such thatoldest data is overwritten by newer data. Alternatively, if a datasegment has an associated tag (the YES prong of decision 715), aretention criteria based on the tag type may be applied and theappropriate data stored with other tagged data as illustrated by block720. As required, any necessary evidentiary access controls asillustrated by block 720 may be considered. At block 730, data mining isperformed. Information gathered from the data mining function may beused to provide a global index of data (e.g., index of data across allavailable metadata). Indexed data remains available until the time limitfor data retention is reached and then data (and its associated indexinformation) may be expunged. However, if as in block 735, anunpredicted event occurs, for example, a bombing, terrorist activity,report of previous criminal activity etc., then, at block 740, the datamined in block 730 (for a particular location, date and time) may beretrieved to assist with investigation and evidence gathering.Optionally, as shown in block 745, the overall system may be configuredto proactively apply analytics to the captured metadata to identifypossible criminal activity or potential threats to public health andsafety (e.g., face or pattern recognition analysis to identify a knowncriminal or threat). Such analysis may then be used to produce ananalytics report as is shown at block 750. The analytics report, forexample, may then be reviewed by law enforcement personnel to assistwith an investigation or determine if further investigation is required.

Collecting metadata from multiple surveillance systems to create acomprehensive index may allow a law-enforcement agency to correlateinformation from different systems. For example, if a set of recordingsfrom different patrol cars at a given geographical location are ofinterest, then the metadata containing GPS information may identify asubset of multi-media files that may be of interest. If multipleagencies use a common global index, they may be made aware of recordingsthat other agencies have obtained that would otherwise be unknown tothem. After following appropriate legal procedures, they may obtainaccess to recordings from other agencies to assist in gatheringevidence. Note that access to actual multi-media recordings may not bemade available because of privacy concerns, for example, but the globalindex informs of the existence of potentially relevant information. Inthis manner, coordinated inter-agency information sharing may beenhanced. The hybrid storage model facilitates creation of a globalindex because the overall size of actual multi-media recordings acrossnumerous surveillance devices may quickly become unmanageable.Additionally, chain of custody of evidence and access controls to actualmulti-media files may be maintained.

Each agency may implement the hybrid storage model as necessary based ontheir size and infrastructure capabilities. Hybrid techniques may alsobe implemented as a sliding scale. That is, at one extreme a maximalhybrid technique uploads all (or nearly all) captured metadata andassociated multi-media files. For example, a large police station with abig cloud presence and high bandwidth might use the maximal hybridmodel. In another extreme, a minimal hybrid technique would upload onlyenough metadata for indexing and very few (if any) multi-media files.The minimal amount of metadata may allow for global indexing asnecessary so that, when required, additional upload of data may berequested from the agency implementing the minimal hybrid model.

Referring now to FIGS. 8A-F, examples of the metadata referencedthroughout this disclosure are shown in an example XML file format. Notethat because of the structure provided by XML each of the metadataportions of FIGS. 8A-F may be stored in a single file, multiple files orany other appropriate segregation. Each element of an XML file ispartitioned by tags (i.e., <row> followed by </row> as shown in FIGS.8A-F). For example, a start tag (i.e., <row>) as shown at the beginningof element 805 and an end tag (i.e., </row>) as shown at the end ofelement 805. According to some disclosed embodiments, the actual rootname of the file (e.g. filename with no extension) is used as a key forassociating the recorded audio/video with the appropriate metadata file.Inside the example element 805 of FIG. 8A there are attribute/valuepairs to provide a metadata parameter name and its associated value forthat attribute. Metadata attributes shown in FIGS. 8A-F haveself-evident names and therefore are not discussed individually here.The examples provided are simply to illustrate that a multitude ofdifferent types of data may be captured and used to index or furthermaintain associated captured surveillance data. In these examples, FIG.8A illustrates a video metadata file for a captured video segment whileFIG. 8F illustrates an XML segment that contains the VX-Sync data. Inthis embodiment, the “V” of “VX” is used to reference the particularvideo and the “X” to reference any event variable associated with theparticular video. For example, during the recording, any action taken bya user, such as an action that triggered the recording, e.g. pushing awireless microphone, or activation of a light bar, or the taking of asnapshot, will be recorded in this metadata file and associated with thevariable X for future connection with the video V. FIG. 8B illustrates asample metadata file with attributes and values relating to in-caractivity logs based on personnel shifts, while FIG. 8C illustrates afile portion that relates to GPS location metadata based on personnelshifts, and FIG. 8D illustrates in-car error logs per personnel shift.In the example shown in FIG. 8D, there are no errors to report. FIG. 8Eillustrates an example metadata file that may be used to establish anaudit trail for the associated video to satisfy evidentiary requirementsrelating to chain of custody.

FIG. 8C illustrates a series of “collected” metadata elements whereseveral attributes have been assigned values based on data collection.For example, the attribute “patrol unit” has a value to identify aparticular police vehicle and the officerID attribute has a valuecorresponding to the identification of a specific officer. Note thatofficerID may be initially blank as in elements 820 and 825, and then beassigned an ID number as an officer logs onto (e.g., successfullyauthenticates to) the integrated system 100 (FIGS. 1A and 1B) as inshown in element 830. Another attribute may be “log time” (element 835,FIG. 8E) which is the date and time that a data record is captured. Yetother attributes, which are self explanatory based on their name, mayindicate changes in longitude and latitude reflective of the vehiclethat is in motion. In addition the speed and velocity of the vehicle inmotion may be reflected in the metadata.

In light of the principles and example embodiments described andillustrated herein, it will be recognized that the example embodimentscan be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from suchprinciples. Also, the foregoing discussion has focused on particularembodiments, but other configurations are also contemplated. Inparticular, even though expressions such as “in one embodiment,” “inanother embodiment,” or the like are used herein, these phrases aremeant to generally reference embodiment possibilities, and are notintended to limit the invention to particular embodiment configurations.As used herein, these terms may reference the same or differentembodiments that are combinable into other embodiments. As a rule, anyembodiment referenced herein is freely combinable with any one or moreof the other embodiments referenced herein, and any number of featuresof different embodiments are combinable with one another, unlessindicated otherwise.

Similarly, although example processes have been described with regard toparticular operations performed in a particular sequence, numerousmodifications might be applied to those processes to derive numerousalternative embodiments of the present invention. For example,alternative embodiments may include processes that use fewer than all ofthe disclosed operations, processes that use additional operations, andprocesses in which the individual operations disclosed herein arecombined, subdivided, rearranged, or otherwise altered.

This disclosure may include descriptions of various benefits andadvantages that may be provided by various embodiments. One, some, all,or different benefits or advantages may be provided by differentembodiments. In view of the wide variety of useful permutations that maybe readily derived from the example embodiments described herein, thisdetailed description is intended to be illustrative only, and should notbe taken as limiting the scope of the invention. What is claimed as theinvention, therefore, are all implementations that come within the scopeof the following claims, and all equivalents to such implementations.

1. A computer system, comprising: one or more processors; and one ormore network communication interfaces communicatively coupled to the oneor more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured toexecute instructions to cause the one or more processors to: receive,via the one or more network communication interfaces, first metadatainformation pertaining to a multi-media recording, the first metadatainformation comprising information regarding attributes describingrecording circumstances of the multi-media recording and an accesslocation of the multi-media recording; initiate transmission of at leasta portion of the first metadata information to a first storage location;and categorize the multi-media recording using the first metadatainformation independently of the multi-media recording.
 2. The computersystem of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are furtherconfigured to execute instructions to cause the one or more processorsto: process the first metadata information pertaining to the multi-mediarecording; and incorporate the processed first metadata information inan index containing information pertaining to additional multi-mediarecordings obtained from multiple distinct portable recording devices.3. The computer system of claim 2, wherein the one or more processorsare further configured to execute instructions to cause the one or moreprocessors to: receive a query request to identify potentiallyapplicable multi-media recordings; and utilize the index to provide aresponse to the query request, wherein the response to the query requestcomprises metadata information pertaining to one or more potentiallyapplicable multi-media recordings or information identifying a storagelocation of one or more potentially applicable multi-media recordings.4-6. (canceled)
 7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein theinformation regarding attributes describing recording circumstancescomprises information pertaining to items selected from the groupconsisting of: recording location, recording time, recording initiation,recording termination, recording duration, event type/tag, and a userwho performed the multi-media recording.
 8. The computer system of claim1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to executeinstructions to cause the one or more processors to: apply auditcontrols regarding access to and/or alteration of the first metadatainformation and/or the multi-media recording.
 9. (canceled)
 10. Thecomputer system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors arefurther configured to execute instructions to cause the one or moreprocessors to: receive an indication identifying one or more potentiallyapplicable multi-media recordings, the indication responsive to a queryrequest; and request initiation of transmission of at least one of theone or more potentially applicable multi-media recordings from a remotestorage location to a storage location accessible to the computersystem.
 11. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the one or moreprocessors are further configured to execute instructions to cause theone or more processors to: apply a data retention policy to themulti-media recording, wherein the data retention policy indicates adata retention period for the multi-media recording based on the firstmetadata information. 12-22. (canceled)
 23. The computer system of claim1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to executeinstructions to cause the one or more processors to: initiatetransmission of the multi-media recording to a second storage locationdifferent from the first storage location.
 24. The computer system ofclaim 23, wherein the first storage location is a local networkaccessible storage location and the second storage location is a remotestorage location.
 25. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the one ormore processors are further configured to execute instructions to causethe one or more processors to: copy the first metadata informationand/or the multi-media recording to a local storage area distinct fromthe first storage location.
 26. The computer system of claim 1, furthercomprising: a local storage area communicatively coupled to the one ormore processors; and a plug-in port communicatively coupled to the oneor more processors and configured to interface with a portable recordingdevice, wherein the initiation of transmission of the first metadatainformation to the first storage location and/or initiation oftransmission of the multi-media recording to a second storage locationoccurs automatically upon connection of a portable recording device tothe plug-in port, the portable recording device storing the firstmetadata information and/or the multimedia recording, respectively. 27.The computer system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors arefurther configured to execute instructions to cause the one or moreprocessors to: correlate the first metadata information with additionalmetadata information to produce correlated metadata information, theadditional metadata information comprising information regardingattributes describing recording circumstances of one or more additionalmulti-media recordings.
 28. The computer system of claim 27, wherein theone or more processors are further configured to execute instructions tocause the one or more processors to: provide an interface to access thecorrelated information, wherein the interface provides information toassist in audit control of the first and additional metadata informationand the first and the one or more additional multi-media recordings. 29.The computer system of claim 27, wherein the correlating of the firstmetadata information with the additional metadata information to producecorrelated metadata information comprises correlating the first and theone or more additional multi-media recordings based on an event typeassociated with each of the first and the one or more multi-mediarecordings, respectively, a recording location of each of the first andthe one or more multi-media recordings, respectively, and/or a recordingtime of each of the first and the one or more multi-media recordings,respectively.
 30. A method comprising: receiving at a computer system,via one or more network communication interfaces, first metadatainformation pertaining to a first multi-media recording, the firstmetadata information comprising information regarding attributesdescribing recording circumstances of the first multi-media recordingand an access location of the first multi-media recording; initiatingtransmission of at least a portion of the first metadata information toa first storage location, the first storage location comprising astorage area configured for storing at least metadata; and categorizingthe first multi-media recording using the first metadata informationindependently of the first multi-media recording.
 31. The method ofclaim 30, further comprising: receiving a query request to identifypotentially applicable multi-media recordings; and utilizing an index toprovide a response to the query request, wherein the response to thequery request comprises metadata information pertaining to one or morepotentially applicable multi-media recordings or information identifyinga storage location of one or more potentially applicable multi-mediarecordings, and wherein the index contains metadata informationpertaining to multi-media recordings obtained from one or more portablerecording devices.
 32. The method of claim 30, further comprising:applying audit controls regarding access to and/or alteration of thefirst metadata information and/or the first multi-media recording. 33.The method of claim 30, further comprising: receiving an indicationidentifying one or more potentially applicable multi-media recordings,the indication responsive to a query request; and requesting initiationof transmission of at least one of the one or more potentiallyapplicable multi-media recordings from a remote storage location to astorage location accessible to the computer system.
 34. The method ofclaim 30, further comprising: applying a data retention policy to thefirst multi-media recording, wherein the data retention policy indicatesa data retention period for the first multi-media recording based on thefirst metadata information.
 35. The method of claim 30, furthercomprising: initiating transmission of the first multi-media recordingto a second storage location different from the first storage location,the second storage location comprising a storage area configured forstoring at least multi-media recordings.
 36. The method of claim 35,wherein the first storage location is a local network accessible storagelocation and the second storage location is a remote storage location.37. The method of claim 30, further comprising: correlating the firstmetadata information with additional metadata information to producecorrelated metadata information, the additional metadata informationcomprising information regarding attributes describing recordingcircumstances of one or more additional multi-media recordings; andgenerating an index based on the correlated metadata information, theindex containing information pertaining to the first and the one or moreadditional multi-media recordings.